Merry Christmas

I probably won't be making it to church this Christmas, but here are some beautiful words from Reverend Desmond Tutu to reflect on this holiday season:

The evolution of the world is a great manifestation of God.  As scientists understand more and more about the interdependence not only of living things but of rocks, rivers -- the whole of the universe -- I am left in awe that I, too, am a part of this tremendous miracle.  Not only am I a part of this pulsating network, but I am an indispensable part.  It is not only theology that teaches me this, but it is the truth that environmentalists shout from the rooftops.  Every living creature is an essential part of the whole... Our surroundings are awesome.  We see about us majestic mountains, the perfection of a tiny mouse, a newborn baby, a flower, the colors of a seashell.  Each creature is most fully that which it is created to be, an almost incredible reflection of the infinite, the invisible, the indefinable.  All women and men participate in that reflected glory.  We believe that we are in fact the image of our Creator.  Our response must be to live up to that amazing potential -- to give God glory by reflecting his beauty and his love.  That is why we are here and that is the purpose of our lives.  In that response we enter most fully into relationships with God, our fellow men and women, and we are in harmony with all creation.

Merry Christmas and Stay Going!

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On Earth as it is in Heaven

by Emilie Oyen

One morning several years ago I was walking through the woods in the Blue Ridge Mountains.  Dew clung to the glowing early-summer leaves, the air was rich. It was silent. No interruptions. My mind drifted as I walked, I lost track of time, of myself --- the usual --- until that point, I looked up from my thoughts and found a shaft of light spilling through a break in the trees. And you know for a brief moment it felt like heaven. 


Have you ever survived a long brutal winter to find, one March morning, the stem of a crocus pushing its up through the cold dirt? Have you watched the light play against a choppy ocean? Have you marveled at the delicacy of a moth's wings? Nature is divine, and every day it offers another miracle.

Nature is divine and sacred and glorious, and it is thus no wonder that Christians --- specifically students at Christian colleges ---- are dedicated to caring for it. And they are caring for God’s creation through action, such as recycling projects, river clean-ups, ecosystem restoration, and promoting green building.

The Green Awakenings Campus Report is the first report to document a phenomenon that is growing and that is a hopeful, spiritual pursuit of sustainable practice. The report details how Christian students and campus are working together for the renewal of God’s creation, and inspires others to join.

“We were shown that God reveals Himself through two books, His Holy Word and the Book of Nature, and both are important,” said Brittany Bennett, a student at Eastern University.

The report is divided into five geographical regions (Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, Southwest, and West) with a number of campuses featured from each region, interspersed with student leadership profiles. It’s very accessible --- open to any page and begin reading, or find a region and compare projects. The short, engaging pieces offer ways to connect with any of the described projects: whether to join forces or to start something new.

When asked why a green revolution, one student replied, “A green revolution is only a byproduct of a lifestyle of stewardship in which God calls us to live. I find gardening spiritual because God is life, and God calls us to live. There is something so intimate about God taking time to create on Earth, because He loves us, because He wishes to enjoy a relationship with us.”

Above painting: Parkway Ridges by Jeff Pittman